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I know talk is cheap, but like I said in my "Stat will be a force next season Thread" Stat is a work horse plus his competitive nature along with his natural ability will equal him being All Star calliber again next year

Also....Felton definetly looked like he slimmed down and it's only July!

A bit of positivity.

With all the talk of Jeremy Lin's departure, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler with Team USA and the Knicks' offseason acquisitions, one of the Knicks' biggest names has gotten lost in the shuffle recently.

So where in the world is Amare Stoudemire these days?

STAT's team that handles his training regimen and schedule said that since the first week of June, the power forward has been involved with a offseason workout program in the Los Angeles area, doing two-a-days. In the morning, he meets with a physical therapist to strengthen his lower back, where he suffered a bulging disk in March. A rep for Stoudemire said his back is "doing great."

Then in the afternoon, Stoudemire works with a conditioning coach focusing a lot on cardio, core development and hip movement in order to ensure that part of his body is quicker and stronger for defensive maneuvering and positioning. That's arguably his biggest deficiency, which is why the defensive-minded Mike Woodson wants him to improve in that area, so he can be more consistent making stops.

After breaking for a week to head to Spain in early July, where he participated in a basketball camp for kids, Stoudemire is now in Las Vegas training and meeting with the Knicks' coaching staff. Iman Shumpert is also there working with the team's athletic trainers to recover from his torn left ACL and lateral meniscus. A source close to Shumpert said "training is all he's focused on right now."

This Saturday, Stoudemire will fly down to IMG Basketball Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where he'll continue his workouts. After his time there, STAT will be in Houston from August 5 to 19 working with NBA legend and post-up coach to the pros Hakeem Olajuwon. According to a source, it's doubtful that Tyson Chandler will join STAT because the Olympics' medal-round games are on August 12.

In the meantime, Stoudemire now knows who his main pick-and-roll partner is going to be next season: the same one from 2010-11, Raymond Felton. During their time together in New York, not only did Felton play at an All-Star level (17.1 points and 9.0 assists per game), but so did Stoudemire, as he averaged 25.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.

We know almost exactly what we can expect from everybody else on this team next year. Amare is the one question mark, in his prime he was one of the greatest offensive power forwards to ever play the game. He was a joy to watch and he used to use and abuse the two GOAT PF's; Duncan and Garnett.

The past few years Amare has slowed down mostly because of being on and off the court due too injuries, more so last year. For the Knicks to be a championship team Amare would have to play almost as good as he did with the Suns offensively and he'd have to improve his defense. I wouldnt count or get on this, although i do hope Amare can "save us". Im counting on 2014 when hes an expiring contract, please pardon my negativity. Or is it reality?

With Felton back and Amar'e healthy I think we are looking at 2010-11 Amar'e with Melo and Tyson + Kidd, J.R. Smith and Novak for spacing. If Amar'e plays at his 2010-11 potential then we are the best team in the league.

And thanks for the update 8's i had not realized that The Dream and Tyson would not gtet the chance to workout together with Amare. That is very unfortunate.

Alan Hahn
Amar'e Stoudemire, who is back down to his usual playing weight of 245 pounds after playing at 260 last season, said he didn't have a chip on his shoulder coming off his worst season, statistically, since his rookie year and hearing and reading so many critics (and fans) write him off as done. "No," he said, "it's a boulder." Motivation, he added, is good because it keeps him driven throughout the long summer months. Watching USA Basketball only adds to it because they did not extend him an invite this year, despite his strong interest in participating. This was likely his last chance at a gold medal

Alan Hahn
Stoudemire will spend two weeks with Hakeem Olajuwon in Houston next month. The cost of learning The Dream Shake? $50,000 a week is what we were told. Now, we don't know of Olajuwon is charging Stoudemire full price, but Amar'e plans to get bang for his buck. He said he plans to memorize every lesson so he can expand his game to include one or two go-to moves on the post. Stoudemire has been known as mostly a pick-and-roll player who developed a mid-range jumper in 2010-11. Mike Woodson wanted him to be more of a threat in the post, so he asked his former Rockets teammate to spend some time with Stoudemire. Tyson Chandler is also expected to spend some time with Olajuwon after the Olympics.

STAT will have a resurgence, listening to him talk on MSG he's knows whats being said and he knows he got work to do. i was a firm believer that he wasnt right last season from the start he looked flat, wasnt used to the weight he was playing at and rtowards the end when he got back to his normal weight he was playing his style again, then he got hurt again. he was never at a steady rhythm. back to normal now he's healthy and he'll be a monster again this year. besides playing with his boy feltip will help em a lot since they have chemistry. looking for a big year outta him this season.

Offensively

He needs an across the lane fading jumper and some real tutelage on how to get his body in to the paint away from the ball for a baby hook. Chandler will not get in his way if he's barreling that 250 pound frame in to the no charge zone, catching, and finishing.

He's gotta find and refine his jumper.

Run the P&R/P&P crisply/aggressively. Too passive on screens last season!

Play a real big man's game - ie MVP SHAQ, who just crashed his way in to the paint and finished within 6 feet of the basket.

Most importantly, put strength ahead of any finesse. No more iso and penetrate from the key. It doesn't work and won't work on this team. Play a big man's game and play it hard.

I think an overhaul of his 2010-2011 game ~ from multi faceted scorer ~ is a thing of the past. Adapt and win. Add something to the arsenal once your role has been defined, Amar'e!

I posted this previously in the Beating the Heat thread but think it's relevant and a very underlooked aspect of STAT this upcoming season.

A big aspect will be our tenacity on defense & toughness. I really like the signing of Camby, not just for the fact that he is a great back up C and still an elite rebounder & defender, but that it forces STAT to learn post moves. Woodson & Grunwald ensure that STAT will be forced to learn these moves as he won't be getting any minutes at C. I'll go out on a limb here but STAT should be a beast next season. I know he is dying to prove the haters wrong & have a come back year, but look at the support he has. Chandler, Camby & Kurt Thomas are as tough as they come and neither of them will mind calling STAT out if he doesn't give his all on D. Likewise, they will have his back through anything and should all provide a great base for him to lift his game defensively.

I think if everything falls into place this year with Amare and Melo playing well together, Amare can be a monster both sides of the court.

I know that usually he's an appalling defensive player, however in the short time he played under Woodson there was a gradual and noticeable improvement and some games he straight up beasted (I'm ignoring the playoffs right here, we all know from playoffs onwards Amare has failed the team miserably).

If you didn't see it try to catch the late season Knicks vs Sixers game which was a big game due to the playoff implications, Amare had a nice offensive game with 21 points and this was not long after the huge downturn he had mid season. However it was the clutch buckets and huge defensive plays down the stretch that really impressed.

Amare could be a good defender I would love to see him as a 15-17pts 10 rebounds 2 blocks kind of player under Woodson and with Felton who has played so much 2 man game with STAT it should be possible.

I think if everything falls into place this year with Amare and Melo playing well together, Amare can be a monster both sides of the court.

I know that usually he's an appalling defensive player, however in the short time he played under Woodson there was a gradual and noticeable improvement and some games he straight up beasted (I'm ignoring the playoffs right here, we all know from playoffs onwards Amare has failed the team miserably).

If you didn't see it try to catch the late season Knicks vs Sixers game which was a big game due to the playoff implications, Amare had a nice offensive game with 21 points and this was not long after the huge downturn he had mid season. However it was the clutch buckets and huge defensive plays down the stretch that really impressed.

Amare could be a good defender I would love to see him as a 15-17pts 10 rebounds 2 blocks kind of player under Woodson and with Felton who has played so much 2 man game with STAT it should be possible.

His block against Brand was a great play and shows he can be useful on the defensive end. Had a big implication on the game too, Amare completely shut him out of the game in the second half after Brand started well.[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]